NOVEL NEXT Ch 08 - If You Aim for My Spot
Chapter:08
If You Aim for My Spot
[Attempting ‘Ability Replication’ for character ‘Chloe Yusbruck .’]
[Understanding of character ‘Chloe Yusbruck ‘ is at 90%.]
Thanks to the artifact yusricht ,’ the replication of Chloe Yusbruck ‘s abilities has begun.
Chloe, as a secondary heroine, was extensively described in the novel, so the understanding level is similar to Serine’s at 90%.
[Judgment: Success]
[Acquired main abilities of character ‘Chloe Yusbruck .’]
The judgment was successful.
Now, just like with serine, I can replicate Chloe’s abilities.
As a swordsman from the west… Chloe’s abilities can counter Schmitz’s southern swordsmanship.
[Successfully acquired ‘Yusbruck Swordsmanship (A Rank).’]
[Successfully acquired ‘Yusbruck Light Steps (C Rank).’]
[Acquired ‘Lorellian Practical Swordsmanship (D Rank)’ but already possess ‘Lorellian Practical Swordsmanship (C Rank),’ making it void.]
I smiled inwardly.
I confirmed that the expected abilities were copied as they were.
Especially the ‘Yusbruck Swordsmanship (遊劍術) A Rank,’ a secret technique of the Yusbruck family, was important.
“Chloe’s not great at other swordsmanship, but this one is pretty decent.”
Honestly, Chloe isn’t a character who stands out in combat.
But in critical situations, she often makes significant contributions with a single attack, and the secret lies in the Yusbruck Swordsmanship.
I copied this Yusbruck Swordsmanship exactly.
“And this will be the weapon to take down Schmitz.”
Lost in these thoughts, Chloe’s cautious voice interrupted.
“Excuse me, Ernas?”
Now I noticed Chloe was looking at my face with a slightly embarrassed expression.
“I think this handshake is a bit too long?”
“Oh, my bad.”
Just like with serine, I held Chloe’s hand for too long.
When I quickly let go, Chloe blushed and said,
“I thought it was just a simple handshake… Do you always initiate physical contact like this?”
“No, that’s not my intention…”
“Well… it’s fine.”
Chloe muttered, turning her head away.
“If you had done this while having a fiancé, I would have been mad.”
“…”
She seemed to misunderstand something.
Since she didn’t seem particularly displeased, there was no need to explain.
“Then, I’ll excuse myself.”
“Oh, sure…”
Chloe bowed to me and left.
Though there was some misunderstanding at the end, I was relieved that I didn’t leave a bad impression.
“In the novel, Chloe constantly interferes with Ernas.”
As the protagonist’s advisor, Chloe countered Ernas’s schemes.
If we had a bad relationship, she could join another faction and hinder me, so I had to avoid becoming enemies with her.
“I’ll probably need her help soon, so maintaining a friendly relationship is crucial.”
With that thought, I headed to the dining hall.
I was a bit late, so I worried if the food was already gone.
* * *
“For a guy who trains in swordsmanship, his hands weren’t rough.
I wonder what kind of cream he uses.”
Chloe was walking, reminiscing about the feel of his hand.
Then, she encountered a female student crouching behind a pillar.
“Chloe.”
“Oh, Lady serine.”
It was Serine, who had been peeking earlier.
I thought she had already left, but she was still here.
“What are you doing here?”
“Well, I… I wasn’t feeling well…”
“Shall I take you to the infirmary?”
“N-no.
I’m fine now.”
Watching serine making excuses, Chloe smiled.
“Did you overhear?”
“Huh?”
“The conversation between me and Ernas.”
“…!”
Serine shook her head urgently.
“No, no! We were too far away, I didn’t hear a thing!”
“I see.”
It didn’t seem like she was lying.
We weren’t talking loudly, anyway.
“Chloe, what did you talk about with Ernas?”
“Well… it’s hard to say.
It was kind of a secret.”
“…!”
When I said it meaningfully, Serine looked shocked.
“Uh, what kind of…?”
“Why are you so curious? It’s not like you’re his fiancée anymore.”
“Ugh…”
Serine looked uncomfortable.
“I heard you were the one who called off the engagement.
Do you still have feelings for him?”
“N-no way!”
Serine shook her head vigorously, denying it.
“I’ve seen Ernas flirt with other women so many times, I was just worried he might do something bad to you!”
“Oh, I see.
But that’s unnecessary.”
Chloe smiled as she watched Serine, who had just admitted to spying.
“Ernas was a gentleman.
He did hold my hand for a bit too long, but he apologized right away.”
“What?”
“And I wouldn’t mind if Ernas flirted with me.”
“W-what do you mean?”
“Well, what do you think?”
Chloe said, brushing a lock of hair behind her ear.
“And Serine, you should be more wary of Schmitz than me.”
“Huh? Schmitz ?”
“It seems like he’s trying to take Ernas down and steal his spot as leader.”
“…!”
“Ernas said he would handle it, but I’m a bit uneasy.
It wouldn’t hurt for you to know about it too.”
Leaving Serine swallowing hard, Chloe walked away, thinking she should decide her stance after seeing how the clash between Ernas and Schmitz unfolds.
* * *
“No meat left?”
“Yes, I’m sorry.”
When I finally got to the dining hall for lunch, the server looked embarrassed as she told me there were no steaks left, the main dish for today.
“Seriously, not a single one left?”
“We thought everyone had gotten theirs…”
The server pointed to a corner of the dining hall.
“That girl over there took all the leftovers…”
“…”
Looking over, I saw a small girl eating a stack of steaks all by herself.
It was Viola Orichas, the notorious underachiever from Black Class 6, who had embarrassed herself yesterday and now today too.
“Viola…!”
I clenched my fists.
Viola was the comic relief character in the novel, but being affected by her like this made me furious.
“E-Ernas, why are you glaring at me like that…?”
Noticing my stare, Viola looked up.
Then, seeing me standing there with an empty tray, she understood the situation.
“Oh, well, I thought I needed to eat a lot to do well in the afternoon training, and I didn’t want the food to go to waste…”
“…”
“So, uh…”
Viola, who had already cut her steak into pieces, picked one up with her fork and offered it to me.
“D-do you want some?”
“No, thanks!”
“Eek!”
I grabbed some bread, mashed potatoes, and grilled vegetables and sat down.
“I can’t believe I’m stuck eating a vegetarian meal here…”
Muttering under my breath, I started my lunch.
Being the class representative probably means I’ll end up eating later than everyone else a lot.
I’d better make sure this doesn’t happen again by sorting it out in advance.
*“I’ve got to prepare for the afternoon training too, y’know.”*
Chewing on a piece of bread, I fiddled with the ring on my left hand.
Immediately, a message appeared in my mind.
—
**[The abilities you’ve currently replicated are as follows:]**
– Bastian Knight Swordsmanship (Rank A)
– Yusbruck Freeform Swordsmanship (Rank A)
– Lorellian Combat Swordsmanship (Rank C)
– Yusbruck Swift Movement Technique (Rank C)
– Eastern Mana Training Method (Rank B)
—
The two empty skill slots were now filled, giving me five abilities in total.
I’d also acquired Lorellian Combat Swordsmanship at Rank D, but since I already had it at Rank C, it was nullified.
*“Well, that clears up the slots.”*
From now on, if I want to copy another ability, I’ll have to delete one first.
The Rank A abilities, Bastian Knight Swordsmanship and Yusbruck Freeform Swordsmanship, will stay for a while.
But the Rank C ones… I should replace them when the opportunity arises.
*“But switching abilities comes with penalties.”*
Other artifacts in the novel had similar systems.
It meant I couldn’t just swap abilities recklessly—I’d need to save it for something truly worthwhile.
*“For example…”*
I glanced over at Viola again.
Despite her clumsy, underachieving demeanor, she had some surprisingly useful abilities.
*“I’ll have to approach her at the right time.”*
As I was thinking about that, Viola, who had been devouring her steaks, flinched as if she felt my gaze.
“U-um… you sure you don’t want a piece?”
“I said no.”
I snapped at Viola as she tried to offer me one of her leftovers and went back to eating.
—
**Afternoon Practical Training**
When lunch was over, the afternoon practice session began.
Yols, the instructor, stood in front of us at the outdoor training grounds and began to speak.
“As I mentioned this morning, today you’ll be sparring one-on-one.
This will help us gauge your skill levels.”
Next to Yols were Annaliese and a few other instructors.
They would be observing our matches closely and recording details about our current abilities.
“Winning or losing doesn’t matter.
Just show us what you’ve got.”
When Yols finished, Annaliese stepped forward and raised her hand.
“Alright, everyone, pair up into groups of two.
It doesn’t matter who you team up with.”
The training grounds buzzed with noise.
Some students quickly paired up with their friends, while others glanced around awkwardly, struggling to find a partner.
*“This is the problem with group activities.”*
I didn’t have anyone close enough to team up with right away.
But I’m Ernas Landsstein.
Even if I stood alone silently, I wouldn’t look like someone in trouble because they couldn’t find a partner.
“Uh, Ernas.”
That’s when it happened.
Serine hesitated before approaching me.
“If you don’t already have a partner, how about teaming up with me?”
“…?”
That was unexpected.
Serine, who hated me, was the last person I’d expect to suggest something like this.
And this was after she’d lost to me in the representative election yesterday, no less.
“We could also talk while we spar.”
“What do you want to talk about?”
“Well…”
Serine turned her head slightly.
Her gaze landed on Schmitz , who was surrounded by his lackeys, deep in conversation.
“Chloe told me.”
“Chloe?”
“Ernas, you’re the one who beat me and became the representative.”
Her tone was serious.
“You can’t let someone like *him* take that from you.”
“…”
It didn’t take long to figure out what she was trying to say.
She wanted to help make sure Schmitz and his group didn’t steal the representative position from me.
*“Right, that’s who Serine is.”*
I’d been so focused on how much she disliked me that I’d forgotten the essence of her character.
Serine was someone who, as the protagonist Arcaned once said, *“feels like she might snap under the weight of her principles someday.”*
For someone like her, seeing Schmitz ’s group try to forcibly dethrone me—someone who had earned the position fairly—would be intolerable.
“Serine.”
I spoke slowly.
“Don’t worry about it.
I don’t need your help.”
“Ernas, you don’t have to be so stubborn—”
“I’m not being stubborn.”
I cut her off, keeping my voice calm despite her insistence.
“This is something I can handle on my own.”
“…!”
Leaving Serine standing there, stunned, I walked away.
I already knew who I’d be sparring with today.
“What’s Schmitz doing?”
“Not sure.”
Watching Ernas and Serine argue from a distance, Schmitz fell into thought.
*“I thought they were working together.
Why are they fighting?”*
Today, Schmitz had planned to observe Ernas’s sparring more closely.
He wanted to analyze Ernas’s skills in detail before taking any action.
But now, Ernas, without pairing up with anyone, was walking straight towards Schmitz .
“Schmitz Hartmann.”
“…!”
When Ernas approached Schmitz and spoke, the students in Schmitz ’s group held their breath.
“What can I do for you, Ernas?”
Schmitz responded politely.
The Landsstein family, with its dukedom, was one of the six great swordsmanship families, ranking far above the Hartmann family, which was only a count’s family from the southern region.
“Have you decided who to spar with yet?”
“Not yet…”
“Perfect.”
Ignoring Schmitz ’s cautious stance, Ernas spoke calmly.
“Schmitz , I want to spar with you.”
“…!”
Schmitz couldn’t help but gasp at that.
He hadn’t expected Ernas to initiate a fight.
“Why me?”
“Because sparring with someone of similar skill is more beneficial.”
Ernas’s expression was nonchalant.
“I sparred with Serine yesterday.
Today, I want to spar with you.”
“…”
“Wouldn’t that be more useful for you too?”
Caught off guard, Schmitz bit his lip.
“Ernas, I…”
“Hm, not interested?”
Cutting Schmitz off, Ernas continued.
“Then how about we add some stakes?”
“Stakes?”
“Yes, stakes.”
“…”
Schmitz felt anxious.
Ernas had seized control of the conversation.
This wasn’t the dynamic Schmitz wanted.
“Fine, what are the stakes?”
Desperate to regain control, Schmitz glared at Ernas, ready to find any flaw in his proposal.
“What are the stakes?”
“If you win…”
Maintaining his calm demeanor, Ernas continued.
“I’ll give you the representative position of the Black Class 6.”
“…!”
Schmitz ’s mouth fell open at the unexpected proposal.